


Shore Leave

by pauraque



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Day At The Beach, F/F, Happy Distracting Comment Fest, Pre-Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23175361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pauraque/pseuds/pauraque
Summary: Seven's bare feet sink slightly into the waterlogged sand as she steps towards the shore, leaving cautious, well-defined footprints.
Relationships: Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine
Comments: 7
Kudos: 48
Collections: Women of Star Trek





	Shore Leave

**Author's Note:**

  * For [parcequelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/parcequelle/gifts).



> A [Happy Distracting Comment Fest](https://sholio.dreamwidth.org/1317420.html) fill for parcequelle's prompt: _Janeway/Seven or Janeway & Seven, shore leave_.

Seven's bare feet sink slightly into the waterlogged sand as she steps towards the shore, leaving cautious, well-defined footprints. It feels foreign to her skin — the coarse unevenness of this ground, and the soft kiss of suction each time she lifts a heel from it. She can't remember if she has ever walked barefoot outside of a ship before.

The red sun of this tranquil, uninhabited planet is falling gradually down towards the distant horizon, making shimmering lines in the atmosphere above the gray-blue sea. Seven finds herself struck by how _real_ it all is: the true randomness of colliding waves, and the rich complexity of organic scents in the salty air. She always thought holodeck simulations of natural environments felt real. Only now does she realize all the ways they don't.

Snatches of other crew members' voices reach her ears, carried along on the drifting breeze. Up and down the beach they are exploring the shoreline, laughing and shouting to be heard over the ocean's roar. They are enjoying this temporary departure from their duties. Seven isn't certain whether she's enjoying it or not.

She ventures close enough to the waves that seawater will reach her the next time it spills up high onto the land. It races towards her and slops up around her ankles; she stiffens at the sudden chill. She stands still, looking down at her pale feet and watching the dark grains and white foam swirl chaotically around them. The water pauses at its peak, and then as it rushes away it erodes some of the sand from beneath her, stealing it back into the sea.

She finds herself sinking, and that, combined with seeing the direction of the water reverse itself, affects her proprioception. She begins to lose her balance, her arms flying out to the sides as she teeters—

In a moment, Janeway is there, hands firmly on Seven's waist, steadying her. "Careful," she warns near Seven's ear, a note of warm amusement in her voice. "I don't mind if people go swimming, but you probably don't want to try it with most of your clothes on."

Seven awkwardly picks her feet up out of the sand, re-establishing her stance. "This substance appears to have some non-Newtonian properties," she says with a disapproving frown.

Janeway laughs and gives Seven a gentle squeeze before letting her stand on her own. "That's one way to put it." Then she steps past her, a bit further out into the water.

It still feels surprising to see the captain out of uniform, in a casual white blouse and brown trousers that are rolled up to her knees. Janeway stands confidently, calf-deep in the sea, squinting out at its unexplored vastness. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, and the sunset highlights it in gleaming shades of auburn and crimson.

This has indeed been an unusual day. But, noticing a curious, pleasurable flutter somewhere deep inside her, Seven is starting to think she likes it.


End file.
